


He Has You

by Steveuschrist



Series: John and His Bat [7]
Category: Batman: The Telltale Series (Video Game)
Genre: Alfred Worries About His Son, Alternate Ending, Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, John is Curious, M/M, No One Killed Anyone, Post-Episode 5, Tbh We All Do, The Enemy Within, Vigilante Path
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steveuschrist/pseuds/Steveuschrist
Summary: John and Alfred have a chat about Bruce.





	He Has You

**Author's Note:**

> This week was crazy and I didn't have that much time to write. I wanted to make this longer but I figured I should just tackle other topics in other stories. I have a few weeks of school left, but after that I hopefully will have plenty of time to write for a couple of months.

John woke from the feeling of someone shifting beside him. He opened one bright green eye, then closed it as he saw how Bruce had repositioned. 

He wrapped his arm around him again, and felt the hand on his back begin to rub circles into his skin gently.

They lay in silence, both of them dozing off and coming back again. It was still dark in their room, but John knew it was late morning. John hummed happily, burying his face in Bruce’s shoulder. He was the luckiest man alive. He was laying in bed with Bruce Wayne, who was also his best friend, and the love of his life. All his bad luck that he was sure made him end up in Arkham had finally, if not completely, run out. 

“I should make you breakfast.” He spoke suddenly, his voice low with sleep. Bruce exhaled softly. 

“Or you could stay in bed with me.” He replied softly, and John grinned. Ok, that was a much better plan. They’d been run ragged over the past few weeks with a big case, taking down a former associate of Thomas Wayne. They’d gotten minimal sleep, John going out on patrol on his own while Bruce investigated more with Alfred. 

There were a few nights where John would come home and Alfred would’ve gone to bed, while Bruce would be up, staring at the Batcomputer like a zombie. Luckily, John was always able to persuade Bruce into coming to bed with him, but John would still wake up in an empty bed, Bruce having woken up earlier than him just to investigate more. 

John turned over on his back, and he felt Bruce’s hand on his own. He smiled sleepily, intertwining their fingers. 

He dozed off again, and when he woke up he had shifted and Bruce was spooning him. John turned his head and nuzzled into Bruce’s neck, giving a soft hum. He could tell that Bruce was sleeping from the steadiness of his breathing. 

John had to admit, watching Bruce was kind of calming to him. He knew it was probably creepy to watch someone sleep, even if they were your partner, but he couldn't help it. He seemed at peace, and Bruce never seemed at peace. He was always running around, trying to juggle a billion things at once. He rarely took breaks, even though he needed them desperately, so when he crashed, he crashed hard. 

John felt Bruce's arms around him switch positions and pull him closer, if that was possible. 

John stayed like that for a few minutes, before realizing how tired he wasn't. He felt refreshed even though he hadn't even slept that long. He pulled away slowly as not to wake up Bruce, but Bruce was strong, even in his sleep, and he pulled John close again. John gave a soft huff before trying again, this time even slower. 

He successfully slipped out of Bruce’s arms. As much as he would've liked to stay, Bruce clearly needed rest, and John knew he wouldn't be able to lay still. He was soon out of bed, and after he made sure Bruce was completely under the blankets, he pulled on some clothes. 

He made his way down the hall, deciding that he would explore the manor. There was an entire wing he hadn't touched yet, and he was still convinced that the manor was haunted in some way. The place was full of ghosts, it had to be. 

He found the part of the manor he was looking for and set off down it. His attention was quickly caught by something on the wall- a painting. He stopped and gazed at it. 

It was of the Waynes- just Thomas and Martha. They were young, happy. Martha wasn't pregnant, or at least it looked like she wasn't. Maybe the painter hid it. 

John examined the painting, finding the date etched into the corner. It was a year before Bruce was born. Thomas was already running Gotham and Martha had no idea. She had no idea what he was really like. 

He stepped back from the painting, looking over the two of them. Bruce’s mother must've been extremely kind to balance out Thomas. John decided that he would like to have met her. 

He continued his way down the hall, slipping into the first room he saw. He grinned at the sight, seeing Alfred in the corner. 

“Alfred!” John approached him and the older man turned. 

“Ah, Master John, you're awake.” Alfred greeted him, giving a soft smile. “I assume Bruce is..?” 

“He's really tired. I'm letting him sleep.” John replied. “What are you doing, cleaning?” 

“I am. That's what I usually do all day.” 

“How'd you do it while you took care of Bruce?” John asked. “This place is massive, it must take hours to clean it now, but what about when you have to care for a kid?” 

Alfred chuckled lightly. “It was a bit of a challenge, but Bruce was easy to take care of, especially when he got into his teens. Very self-sufficient. And when he was young I had time to clean while he was at school and when he went to bed.” 

“I still can hardly imagine that Bruce was actually a kid! A little kid!” John giggled. “I'm sure he was adorable!” 

“He was. Always helpful, as well.” Alfred said. “He hasn't really changed. He’s actually relied on me more ever since he started his… nightly activities.” 

“Of course. He needs someone to patch him up when he gets beat up, right?” John asked. “You're his dad, of course he needs you. More than ever after finding out the truth about his folks.” 

Alfred stiffened, pausing before responding. “He hasn't been the same since then. He’ll never be the same.” 

John huffed softly. “I can't imagine.. thinking you know all these good things about your parents… then it being all twisted.. and not even finding out from them…” 

“Maybe I should've told him. I don't know.” Alfred replied. “I considered telling him right before he went off to school, but I wanted him to focus. If he was going to take over the company, he needed to work hard. And then he settled into work. I should've told him, we had a few years of nearly silence- a few years before Batman.” 

“You just didn't want to break the news.” John said. “It's such a burden to have. You didn't want to upset him.” 

“If he'd known then maybe he could've stopped the whole Children of Arkham ordeal.” Alfred’s tone became cold. 

“Uhh... how about I help you clean this place up!” John interjected quickly. With Batsy living in the house now, the amount of dust on every surface seemed to increase, even though he was still a little kitten. Alfred gave a soft huff, but handed John something to use. John grinned and began to wipe off the bookshelves in the room. The books were all on medicine- this was clearly Thomas’s collection. 

“Tell me more about Bruce as a young man!” John grinned over at Alfred. The older man adjusted his glasses before beginning. 

“Well, I was Bruce’s primary guardian, but the Lucius took him in as well. The entire family did. Lucius and his father were decently close, but at the time he had no idea what Thomas was doing. Lucius’s family was as close as family friends could be. Tiffany was born only a month or so after Bruce’s parents were killed. He treated her like his own sister. Even when she was no longer an only child, he really only had a deep connection with her. I still remember them playing hide and seek together. Even when Bruce was 17 he still stole cookies from the top shelf for Tiffany. ...He still doesn’t know that I know.” 

John couldn’t help but laugh. The image of a teenage Bruce sneaking into the kitchen to steal cookies for his (essentially) eight year-old sister amused him. 

“And when Bruce would come back from school she would ask him a bunch of questions about it. They may have been coming from her, but I could still see the rise of panic in his eyes. He answered them as best as he could, but he would always say to her, and I quote, “I’m going to school for boring money stuff. You’ll be going to school to create a much bigger impact on society.” She would always laugh at the “boring money stuff” bit.” 

“What about grade school? Did you teach him?”

Alfred chuckled. “Me? Oh, no, I’m no teacher. Not in that sense anyway. Bruce went to private schools. In high school he… he was actually kicked out and had to go to another one.”

John blinked, looking over at Alfred. “What?? Bruce? Kicked out?” 

Alfred nodded. “He got into fights, or I should say, people got into fights and he stopped them. Only he was much better at fighting than those other rich boys. One classmate would be picking on another, punches would be thrown. He would step in to stop the instigator. He would leave the fight with just a few hurt knuckles while the other student... After the third time they kicked him out. High school was hard for Bruce. He was stressed about becoming an adult. About running the company. Crime rates in Gotham started to rise again. He would get mad and ask me why we lived in this “hellhole of a city”. I never gave him a good answer.”

John had stopped cleaning, staring at Alfred. “He was.. really upset, huh?” Alfred chuckled. 

“‘Upset’ is putting it lightly. He got back on track somewhat in college, at least. Never got into any fights. For the longest time he didn’t even talk about how bad Gotham was- until Batman came along. I still wonder if, for all those years, he was just planning, weighing his options. All I know is, I still worry about him ever coming back once he leaves.” He offered John a small smile. “And now I’ve got you to worry about, too.” 

John grinned. “Don’t worry! Bruce and I got each other’s backs out there! And the GCPD does too, I guess. Can’t let them get too close, though.” 

“I’ll admit, I was very hesitant in letting you work with him.” Alfred said. “At first, the whole Pact thing… it didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want him to put himself in danger, but he had to. To protect himself. And those weeks after you jumped… he didn’t say anything, but I knew he was extremely upset. He didn’t go into work at all. I know he went looking for you, or at least considered it. I’m sure he was up, worried, playing the scene in his head over and over again. I know it brought up painful memories for him. When we were in the alley together and he was injured… I knew he was in pain, but I also knew he was so relieved to see you. So glad that you were safe.” 

John giggled lightly. “Yeah… that whole Pact thing… That was a mess, wasn’t it? I mean, he only helped me because The Agency made him…” He gave a soft sigh. “But, I can accept the fact that he used me to protect himself. Anyone would do that. I’m just glad he didn’t drop me like a stone after it all was over, you know? It started out kinda bad, but it’s all good now.” 

There was a silence and John went back to cleaning. Alfred spoke again. 

“I’ve never seen him happier than when he’s with you, you know.” 

John let out a nervous chuckle. “I… me?”

“Yes, you. You make him the happiest he’s ever been. Thank you.” 

John grinned. “You’re… you’re very welcome. Making him happy is… it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” 

“I’m so glad he has you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
